In general, an electronic control apparatus such as an ECU, which electronically controls various types of devices, is equipped in a vehicle. The electronic control apparatus receives information from sensors or switches installed at each part of the vehicle. The electronic control apparatus serves to perform various electronic controls for promoting improvement of a riding quality and safety of the vehicle or providing various items of convenience to a driver and a passenger by processing the received information.
For example, the electronic control apparatus such as the ECU, which controls states of an engine, an automatic transmission, an anti-lock brake system (ABS), and the like in the vehicle using a computer, also serves to control all parts in the vehicle, such as a driving system, a braking system, and a steering system as well as the control of the automatic transmission as the vehicle and the computer have been developed in terms of performance.
The electronic control apparatus such as the ECU has a structure that includes a case which includes an upper cover and a lower base, a printed circuit board (PCB) which is accommodated in the case, a connector which is coupled to a front end of the PCB so as to be connected to an external socket, and the like.
The case has a structure in which the cover and the base are assembled together with the PCB while covering the PCB, and particularly, the connector, which is interposed between the cover and the base when the cover and the base are assembled, forms a sealing structure with the cover side and the base side.
The electronic control apparatus includes a high integrated control circuit means and thus requires a predetermined sealing structure that may prevent external moisture or foreign substances from flowing into the electronic control apparatus, and the electronic control apparatus mainly adopts a sealing structure in which the cover and the base are typically assembled together with the connector in a state in which sealing materials are inserted on connected portions between the cover and the base and the connector so as to protect the PCB and the like in the electronic control apparatus.
However, the sealing structures applied to the electronic control apparatus in the related art mostly have a structure in which a sealing member is applied on a connected portion between a groove or protrusion at the connector side and a protrusion or a groove at the cover side and the base side, so that it fails to secure a sufficient sealing area and as a result, there is a difficulty in securing a sealing quality of an assembled portion between the connector, and the cover and the base.
A slot type electronic control apparatus has a sealing structure in which an O-ring is inserted between a housing body and a cover.
FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating an example of coupling of an electronic control apparatus including slot type housing in the related art, and FIG. 2 is a perspective view of an O-ring used in the electronic control apparatus of FIG. 1.
As illustrated in FIG. 1, the electronic control apparatus including the slot type housing in the related art includes a housing body 110, a cover 120, a connector 130, and a PCB 140.
The housing body 110 is a slot type body among existing various types of housings.
The connector 130 includes an inner pin and an outer pin, and is coupled to the cover 120.
The cover 120 is coupled with the PCB 140, and a slot formed by the PCB 140 is coupled with the housing body 110. Here, an O-ring 121 is inserted between the housing body 110 and the cover 120.
That is, in a case of the waterproof slot type housing in the related art, the O-ring 121 is inserted between the housing body 110 and the cover 120. The housing body 110 is in close contact with the cover 120 so that a coupled region between the housing body 110 and the cover 120 is sealed. Accordingly, the O-ring 121 suitable for the cover 120 needs to be manufactured in advance before the housing body 110 is coupled with the cover 120, and the manufactured O-ring 120 needs to be mounted inside the cover 120.
FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are a cross-sectional view of a coupling state of the electronic control apparatus including a slot type housing in the related art, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a coupling state of the electronic control apparatus adopting a slot type waterproof sealing structure, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a coupling state of a slot type non-waterproof electronic control apparatus.
In a case of FIG. 3, the connector 131 is a special connector integrated with a cover, and the cover 131 is coupled with the PCB 140 and the slot formed by the PCB 140 is coupled with the housing body 110. The O-ring 121 is inserted between the housing body 110 and the connector 131, so that the coupling portions are in close contact with each other so as to be sealed.
However, in a case of FIG. 4, the cover 130 is coupled with the PCB 140, the slot formed by the PCB 140 is coupled with the housing body 110, and a means, such as the O-ring, for sealing the coupling portion is connected between the housing body 110 and the connector 130, so that there is a problem in that it is impossible to prevent external moisture or foreign substances from flowing into the housing.